For over 25 years, I witnessed the realities of marijuana prohibition as a New Jersey State Trooper in the drug crimes division. As New Jersey lawmakers consider a path forward on legalizing marijuana, I feel I must speak up. Marijuana legalization can make our state a safer place to live and raise children. Our elected officials should put aside their political differences and prioritize taxing, regulating, and controlling marijuana before the end of this session in January.

Over the course of my career, I made over 1,000 arrests related to drug crimes and have seen first-hand how drug abuse can devastate communities. However, arresting individuals for simple possession rarely led them to success or sobriety or made their neighborhood a better place. Instead, arrests typically led to cycles of petty crime, prison, and joblessness, creating more work for police and eroding public safety without treating the root causes of addiction.

Meanwhile, prohibition has failed to discourage teenagers from using marijuana. Since 1995, marijuana use among high school students has remained steady, while alcohol use has been declining steadily since the early 1990s. This decline isn’t a random outcome -- rather, it is the result of a deliberate effort to regulate a dangerous product and educate young people about the very real consequences of alcohol abuse and drunk driving.

Smart, effective regulatory controls on marijuana can similarly curb usage rates and improve public safety. As with the sale of alcohol, the state could require that a percentage of the tax revenue generated by legalization be set aside for public service campaigns aimed at deterring youth marijuana use.

Basic distribution requirements, such as the use of childproof packaging and marketing restrictions, can help make marijuana products less accessible to children. In the absence of regulation, there are no protections in place to prevent the sale or advertisement of marijuana products that are marketed or accessible to teenagers and children.

Another crucial component of regulatory control is the implementation of delivery services, a tool already successfully used in California. Marijuana delivery is not a gimmick, but rather a practical tool that would operate in the same way that pharmaceutical and prescription delivery services in New Jersey currently do. Deliver service providers should work closely with state regulators, helping to ensure that dispensaries and consumers are playing by the rules. At the same time, regulated delivery services would deter consumers from driving under the influence and help ensure cannabis products are sold strictly to adults with verifiable proof of age.

Through enforced packaging restrictions and delivery services, towns and cities opposed to the establishment of local dispensaries would be able to retain local control without infringing on the rights of its residents or undercutting the benefits of legalization. Communities with specific concerns regarding storefront dispensaries would be able to implement their own rules and guidelines accordingly. Unlike storefront dispensaries, delivery services allow marijuana to be shipped from retail warehouses located in industrial zones outside of residential neighborhoods and less visible to young people.

After years of cracking down on marijuana users, I realized prohibition has made our neighborhoods more dangerous without making a significant dent in consumption. Effective marijuana controls are necessary for providing safe access to responsible adult consumers while simultaneously curbing youth drug use. It is important that our elected officials move forward with legislation to legalize and regulate the marijuana industry.

Nick Bucci is a retired New Jersey State Trooper with over 25 years of service in the state police’s drug crimes division.

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